Rustam, a murrah bull, valued at a whopping of Rs 11 crore, with a height of six feet and tail-to-head length of 16.5 feet, grabbed eyeballs at the “Krishi Unnati Mela”, organised by the Agriculture Ministry at Pusa Institute in the national Capital.
His daily diet consists of 20 litres of milk, five kg curd and 10 kg feed, including carrot and fruits. His regimen also includes a six to 10 kilometre walk. Even Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh couldn’t stop himself for a photograph with Rustam. The mela was organised from March 16 to March 18.
Dalel Singh, a resident of Jhajjar district in Haryana, told The Pioneer that Rustam is a star attraction at the Krishi Mela.
“The bull is like our family member. I spend more than Rs 60,000 to 70,000 per month on his upkeep. last year, a foreigner from Germany did offer me Rs 11 crore for Rustam but I refused,” the bull owner said, adding he has earned Rs 40 lakh last year by selling Rustam’s semen.
Singh said every week beauticians come to his residence for hair dressing of Rustam. Two people have been deputed for his body massage on daily basis in morning and evening. According to Singh, Rustam had won first place in the 10th National livestock Championship held in Punjab’s Muktsar in 2017.
Notably, there is also a huge demand for high-yielding Murrah buffaloes in Haryana. It is mainly found in Northern and Central India and is considered among the best high-yield native breed.
The demand for Murrah breed of buffalo, which is known for high milk yield, has also increased because of the quality progeny of the breed. While earlier, panchayati bulls were used for mating with the buffalos, these brand names have been in demand among farmers for artificial insemination for better quality of progeny.